burning man bradford city stadium fire

More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. Following the hearing in 1986, a test case was brought against the club by David Britton, a police sergeant serving on the day, and by Susan Fletcher, who lost her husband John, 11-year-old son Andrew, John's brother Peter and his father Edmond in the fire. The fact the inquiry also embraced the investigation into another incident which happened on the same day, a riot in which a young boy died at Birmingham City, makes it seem more frivolous. "I was supposed to meet my father at my grandfather's house, but I was a bit late so I went straight to the game so I didn't miss the festivities.". The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. [27], Explaining his decision, Sir Joseph Cantley stated: "As I have already stated, the primary duty was on the Club and the functions of the County Council were supervisory and its liability is for negligent breach of a common law duty arising out of the way in which they dealt with or ignored their statutory powers. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. One letter from the council said the problems "should be rectified as soon as possible"; a second said: "A carelessly discarded cigarette could give rise to a fire risk." The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Mr Colin Sampson, said yesterday that a team of doctors and pathologists had worked throughout the night trying to identify the dead. BBC Sport looks back at the Bradford City fire disaster that claimed the lives of 56 spectators when a stand became engulfed in flames on 11 May 1985. When Town reached the Midland Road side of the pitch, he was faced with horrific scenes of the injured being treated and comforted by ambulance crews, fans and players. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". 'I have to tell you that the fire was so intense that identifying people is going to be the great problem we have to face.'. Videos, gifs, or aftermath photos of machinery, structures, or devices The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. There were no extinguishers in the stand's passageway for fear of vandalism, and one spectator ran to the clubhouse to find one but was overcome by smoke and impeded by others trying to escape. Town began to paint two years ago, first of the old Bradford Park Avenue ground, before moving onto other stadiums. Cigarette smoking was also banned at all grounds with wooden stands. Smoke was seen coming from the third row in the section but people are apparently used to seeing smoke flares on the Bradford ground. Others ran forward to try to clamber over a fence and a small wall on to the pitch. The Man burns on September 02, 2023. [45] PCs Peter Donald Barrett and David Charles Midgley, along with spectators Michael William Bland and Timothy Peter Leigh received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct. People were clambering over the wall on to the ground with their clothes and hair on fire. Yet in 2015, allegations surfaced which shifted the focus to the club's then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham. "All I could see was eerie white lights that the fire brigade had set up and the smoke still in the sky. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. It was an awful thing to watch.". Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. On 23 February 1987, Sir Joseph Cantley found the club two thirds responsible and the county council (which by this time had been abolished) one third responsible. All existing grandstands deemed fire risks were faced with immediate closure. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. I rolled over on my head, jumped up and ran off.". "I want the truth to be out, the myths to be broken, so that I can get on with my life rather than knowing this information and having to live with this information. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. Guided by the values expressed by the 10 Principles, Burning Man is a global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers who co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. The two sides met for the first time after the fire in April 1989, when they arranged a benefit match in aid of the Hillsborough disaster, at Valley Parade. ", Hendrie: "The players were told to go to the pub at the top of the road, we didn't know at this point if anyone had been killed. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. He appealed to people to be patient while forensic experts identified bodies. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. Bradford city council officials, off-duty policemen and guests from Bradford 's twin town, Munchengladbach, were there to celebrate. It was to be our day,' he said. There has been reports of people lighting paper under the seats, and it was important that as many fans as possible who were in the stand or at the Kop end contacted the police. They were immediately promoted back to the Football League in 1988, and survived for 23 years before being relegated again in 2011. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. Bradford fan Matthew Wildman, who was aged 17 and using crutches because of rheumatoid arthritis: "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. Pendleton: "As I ran away I remember turning around and looking and just seeing this wall of grey smoke pouring out and pushing thousands of people in front of it. [10] Of those who died, 11 were under-18 and 23 were aged 65 or over,[20] and the oldest victim was the club's former chairman, Sam Firth, aged 86. We use necessary cookies to make our site work. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. The 51 other bodies of children, women and men were so badly burned that identification will take many days. Bradford City stadium fire: BBC documentary says Aussie man to blame "I'm taking the opportunity to lay out the facts that were not laid out in 1985 at the time of the inquiry or the inquests. 56 people dead. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. Since then, it has been further re-developed and, today, Valley Parade is a modern 25,136 all-seater stadium, which is virtually unrecognisable from how it was at the time of the disaster, save for the original clubhouse that still stands beside the main stand, and the flank support wall that runs down the Hollywell Ash Lane at the "Bradford End". Mr Tony Delahunte, who was presenting a programme from the ground for Pennine Radio, said 'The fire seemed to me to start with a smoke bomb. Hundreds more telephoned the police to try to trace relatives. "I've always loved art but I owned businesses in construction so I've never had the time or a chance to follow it up," he says. He was actually one of the detectives involved in one of the gravest miscarriages of justices in the country, the murder of Carol Wilkinson in Bradford, where someone was locked up for 20 years for a murder he didn't commit."[60]. Forty-two minutes into the first half of the game, he looked to his left to see smoke and flames rising from the old wooden seats. "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. Most of the exits at the back were locked or shut and there were no stewards present to open them, but seven were forced open or found open. [30], The outcome of the test case resulted in over 154 claims being addressed (110 civilians and 44 police officers)[31] by the injured or bereaved. "It wasn't covering anything up, it wasn't avoiding the truth of what happened, everyone knows what happened, everyone knows it shouldn't have happened. It wasn't just something that happened in the past.". Burning Man NYC Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. The club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. 05/10/15 AT 12:00 PM BST Crowds on the pitch at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium after the stand caught fire Getty Images Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands. More than 250 others were injured in one of the. "I looked up and saw the flames. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. Hideous images linger after carnage of 'celebration' day Nigel Adams who worked for 12 years as a fire investigator with a British fire service was spurred on by the book to join the call for a fresh inquiry, stating that Fletcher's book was "one of the best accounts of a fire, as seen from a victim's point of view, and as a piece of investigative writing, I have ever read". [57] Following the 30th anniversary of the fire, a number of news organisations named this man as Eric Bennett who was visiting his nephew in Bradford from Australia and attended the game on the day. As a result, Bradford-born captain Peter Jackson was presented with the league trophy before the final game of the season with mid-table Lincoln City at Valley Parade on 11 May 1985. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred to as the Man, that occurs on the penultimate night of Burning Man, which is the Saturday evening before Labor Day. ", IBT UK Morning Brief - Let the best of International News come to you. One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. The inquiry into the disaster, chaired by Sir Oliver Popplewell and known as the Popplewell Inquiry,[25] led to the introduction of new legislation to improve safety at the UK's football grounds. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. The fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium in which 56 people died and more than 270 were injured is remembered 25 years on. I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. Bradford City Stadium Fire: The Forgotten Fire Tragedy of 1985 that 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. "[33], Central to the test case were two letters sent to Bradford City's Club Secretary by the West Yorkshire Fire Brigade; the second letter dated 18 July 1984 specifically highlighted in full the improvements needed to be actioned at the ground as well as the fire risk at the main stand. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. In those days there was a lot of hooliganism and violence, so my initial thought was: 'I hope it has not kicked off - that's the last thing we need'. It was appalling that public money was given to the club while it was still owned by the same shareholders under whose direction the fire had happened. 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. [38], The tragedy received immense media attention and drew support from around the world, with those offering their sympathy including Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II. [22], Immediately after the fire, Sharpe planned and treated the injuries of over 200 individuals, with many experimental treatments being used. ", Popplewell: "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". She was hysterical and trying to find her three children. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. Bradford City had just won the Third Division Championship and a record number of spectators over 11,000 had turned out to see the club presented with its first piece of league silverware in 56 years. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". "I got pushed down to the front and I remember looking around and suddenly this smouldering, small fire had taken over virtually half a block and was starting to hit the roof. "[37], Fletcher subsequently published a book in 2015, Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire which revealed a history of fires at businesses owned by the Bradford City chairman Stafford Heginbotham. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. 05/12/15 AT 9:58 AM BST Crowds on the pitch at the Valley Parade stadium after a stand caught fire Getty Images Police have revealed the identity of the man who they believe was responsible. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. A bid of 350 has been made for the original painting and Town will sell 56 prints in memorial of those who lost their lives, with the aim of raising 3,000 for the Bradford Burns Unit. And all you could smell was burning.". Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. It was later established that the blaze was caused by a fan who went to put his cigarette out but dropped it between the floorboards onto a pile of rubbish that had been building up below. No fire extinguishers had been installed over fears of vandalism and less than four minutes after the fire was reported, the fire had engulfed the whole stand. The blaze, at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, killed 87 people, the . We couldn't breathe. Christmas Day is supposed to be happy and pleasant, a time to gather with loved ones for a chill and relaxing celebration. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. Some days I had two operations in a day. "That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. Recommended The untold stories of the 1985 fire It detailed the safety work which would be carried out at Valley Parade as a result of the club's promotion, admitting the ground was "inadequate in so many ways for modern requirements". On the recording are Dene Michael (Black Lace), The Chuckle Brothers, Clive Jackson of Dr & The Medics, Owen Paul, Billy Pearce, Billy Shears, Flint Bedrock, Danny Tetley and Rick Wild of The Overlanders. Fletcher said that "The club at the time took no actual responsibility for its actions and nobody has ever really been held accountable for the level of negligence which took place. A Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund raised 3.5m for the victims and their families. Copyright 2023 IBTimes UK. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - HISTORY Interviews conducted by BBC Radio Leeds' Tim Daley. Come celebrate the beastly realm and our place in it and with it, an even more radically inclusive and sustainable city and global community in 2023: ANIMALIA! Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. 1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium fire. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. The fire was described as the worst fire disaster in the history of British football, and the worst football related disaster since 66spectators died at Ibrox in 1971. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. This day was for them. [4] Football ground writer Simon Inglis had described the view from the stand as "like watching football from the cockpit of a Sopwith Camel" because of its antiquated supports and struts. Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. After its renovation in 1990 they named the home end of their ground the 'Stacey-West Stand', in honour of Bill Stacey and Jim West, the two Lincoln City supporters who were amongst the 56 to die at Bradford. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. Bradford fire: the horrors and the silence that had to be broken Daniel Taylor The policewoman assigned to the grieving Fletchers gets goosebumps when she looks back to 30 years ago. [15] They included three who tried to escape through the toilets, 27 who were found by exit K and turnstiles 6 to 9 at the rear centre of the stand, and two elderly people who had died in their seats. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. The speed at which fire engulfs the entire stand is insane. People were wandering around outside the ground in disbelief, reminiscent of an air disaster, at what had happened the day before. A giant Christian cross, made up of two large charred wooden members[44] that had once been part of the stand, was constructed in front of the middle of the stand and behind the pitchside speaker's platform. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. It seemed to put it out. "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. ', Bradford City Fire Website messages of condolence from around the world, "Chuckle Brothers' single for Bradford City fire anniversary", "Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire", "Emotive play of Bradford City fire disaster raises cash for burns unit", "Book Review: Four Minutes to Hell: The Story of the Bradford City Fire by Paul Firth football book reviews", "Football Focus 1st May 2010 Bradford City Part 1", Bradford City A year of healing Documentary, "Bradford fire: expert demands new investigation into blaze", "Bradford City stadium fire 1985 IPCC investigation decision", "BRADFORD CITY FIRE: Accidental cause of tragedy 'not in any doubt', says detective", "Bradford City fire 'started by cigarette', "Bradford City fire: Briton attacks 'inaccurate' BBC documentary claiming his uncle started blaze", "Bradford fire: Sir Oliver Popplewell defends 1985 inquiry interview in full", Living with Jacko From Touchline to Lifeline, Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire, The full Interim Report by Lord Popplewell into the Bradford City Fire, British Medical Journal article on the treatment of burns casualties after the Bradford City Fire, Peter Jackson's account of the Bradford City Fire, Nationally broadcast Yorkshire Television programme covering the fire, broadcast the following day, ITN bulletin covering the fire, also from the following day, ITN bulletin covering the aftermath, from three days later, Chelsea F.C. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. However, there is a lot in this book that troubles me about the science, or lack of it, used in the testing of the investigators' hypothesis as to the source of the ignition. "But the feeling here is that it is hard to believe that someone would purposefully start a fire. "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. Many who had walked out of the fire stood on the pitch looking back in horror as the flames destroyed the stand. Warnings had been issued over the ground's antiquated wooden structure, which had been condemned and was due to be pulled down and replaced with steel and concrete. The stand had no perimeter fencing to keep fans from accessing the pitch, thus averting an instance of crush asphyxia as in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.